JAMMU: Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, Jammu & Kashmir, on Thursday, May 5, approved a proposal to reorganize the Jammu Municipal Corporation, which aims to make the civic body more efficient and focused in its operations. The proposal by the Housing and Urban Development Department of Jammu & Kashmir was approved during the meeting of the Administrative Council.
The Council approved an additional financial grant of Rs 3.26 crore per annum for the optimal functioning of the JMC. The decision was taken based on the recent growth of JMC in terms of area and number of wards, wherein its infrastructure and manpower remain the same. JMC has grown from an initial number of 23 wards covering an area of 32 square kilometres to 71 wards spread over 112 square kilometres.
Post reorganization, the civic body will have dedicated wings for administration, revenue, health & sanitation, solid waste management, building, accounts & planning, legal, veterinary, transport, informatics, engineering, floriculture, and miscellaneous activities. The corporation plans to outsource some positions, to hire the staff as per requirement, without putting much stress on the resources and ensuring the association of technical experts with the Corporation.
To provide a boost to the corporation’s revenue generation, and to establish it as a self-sustainable model of local governance, JMC will also be able to levy property tax; revise building permission fees; revise rent in respect of shops, open spaces and buildings; rationalize existing fleet and vehicles; auction materials; levy charges in respect of water filling; collect tower fee; enhance compounding fee in respect of impounded items and goods, among others after the reorganization.